(baseball) a
measure of a
baseball player's hitting
ability obtained by dividing the number of hits he makes by the number of
times at
bat. For
example, if a player
bats 100
times and makes a
hit 35
times, then his batting
average is .350. Used figuratively, this
phrase means a degree of achievement or accomplishment in any activity. Now, that's their lowest acceptable batting
average.
n. figuratively, a record of achievement, accomplishment or
performance, specifically the number of
times one is
successful at something compared to the number of attempts at it; the
level of
success maintained by a person in any activity. The
term batting
average comes from certain games, such as
baseball, in which a player's
ability to
hit a
ball is measured so as to
determine his
effectiveness. The
success a player has at hitting the
ball, in comparison to the number of chances to do so, determines his batting
average. For
example, a player who has 100 turns to
hit the
ball and is
successful on 30 of those opportunities has a batting
average of .300 (spoken as "three hundred"). The
phrase can also be applied to activities other than sport. For
example, if one has a high batting
average in some
field, as teaching, sales, etc., he has a good record of
success in that activity.